Charlie Klein
The Washington Capitals 14-game winning streak came to an end last night in Montreal as the Canadiens put six goals past two Washington goaltenders to win in overtime. Tomas Plekanic scored the winner in overtime following an inspired comeback by the Capitals culminating in Brooks Laich's third goal with 18 seconds remaining in regulation.
The Capitals have overtaken the sports market here in Washington, DC so much so that one would think that Mayor Adrian Fenty had mandated that red become the official color of the city. Then again, the team is not hard to like. Alexander Ovechkin is the most exciting player to watch in the NHL and plays on a line with one of the best play-making centermen in Niklas Backstrom in the league. The team averages almost four goals a game so people can never complain about hockey being a sport in which offense is kept to a minimum.
The boys in red had not lost since January 12th when the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated them 7-4. One of the turning points in their historic season came on Super Bowl Sunday when the Caps were down 4-1 late in the 2nd period to the defending Champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Newly appointed captain Alex Ovechkin unleashed the fury on the Penguins by bringing the team level with a hat-trick and line mate Mike Knuble scored the winner in overtime.
While the offensive play of this team bedazzles even the casual observer, what the Capitals need to address before the trade deadline on March 3rd is at the very least their shaky goaltending situation. I was very impressed with the play of Semyon Varlamov in the playoffs last season, but he is still only 21 years-old and lacks the necessary playoff experience to carry a team to a Cup. Jose Theodore is far too inconsistent to ever consider being a No. 1 goalie in the playoffs. I would advise Caps GM George McPhee to take a look at the Islanders' Dwayne Roloson. The backstop signed a 2 year, 5 million dollar contract with the Long Island club last offseason but will find his ice time scarce with the return of Rick DiPietro to the ice at the Mausoleum. Roloson would be under club control for next season as well while young goalies Michal Neuvirth and Varlamov mature into viable options. I can't imagine that the Islanders' demands for Roloson would be too high and packaging a deal that shipped Theodore to Long Island would not be out of the question. Only thing preventing this from happening is that the Isles would prefer to move Marty Biron before they deal Roloson, as Biron will walk at the end of this season.
In the 2009-2010 season, the Capitals are definitely sending a message to the rest of the league: we are the best team in the Eastern Conference, and we want the cup. With the addition of a solid goalie and a bruising defenseman, I fully expect the Capitals to be in the finals.
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